Motorways

New plans proposed by the Government will see motorway speed limits cut to 60mph, in order to limit air pollution near homes and schools.

The limit has been proposed for a 32-mile stretch on a section of the M1, following fears that pollution levels are damaging the health of nearby residents, while also in a bid to meet European Union (EU) targets for clean air.

Britain is to build its second toll motorway as part of a number of major road projects, according to reports in the Independent.

The Chancellor is likely to revive a 10-year old plan to expand the M4, in order to reduce congestion near Newport, Wales. This will form part of a new £3bn road building policy aimed at stimulating the British economy.

The number of road deaths on the nation’s highways this Spring fell by almost a fifth in comparison with year-on-year figures, according to provisional Government figures.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has revealed a total of 400 people were killed in reported road accidents across April – June in 2012, an 18 per cent reduction on the 487 recorded deaths for the same period in 2011.